Screen sirens vie to win first place on film’s hit list

Who’s the sexiest girl on screen? For this month let’s narrow the choice down to five: Eom Jung-hwa, Kim Ah-jung, Kim Tae-hee, Hyun Young and Yim Soo-jung. If this is still too big a list, movie fans can select just one themselves, as all five starlets are due in multiplex cinemas before the New Year.

So December will be the cruellest month for this celluloid quintet. While moviegoers enjoy being armchair critics, the five actresses will be nervous, studying which film moviegoers like best.
The first on deck is “I Am a Cyborg, But That’s Okay” starring Yim Soo-jung, who has an innocent look that makes her look barely 20 (although she is 27 according to the official profile released by her agency). To star in director Park Chan-wook’s new romantic comedy, she had to reduce her weight to 39 kilograms (86 pounds) and she bleached her eyebrows blonde to play a cute doll-like character who believes she is a cyborg and must be recharged like a battery.
“It was actually very painful to starve [for the skinny figure I had to have for the character] while the rest of the crew were having their meals,” Yim admitted with what looked like a hungry expression during the press conference held last week.

Also opening on the same day is “Seducing Mr. Robin” starring Eom Jung-hwa, a singer and actress, who is commonly called the “Korean Madonna” because of her sensational dress sense. But unlike her previous films, including “Marriage Is a Crazy Thing,” which raised eyebrows because of its provocative material, the latest film by director Kim Sang-woo has been edited for viewing by a general audience ― one reason it has a chance of gaining a younger, wider following.
Model-turned-actress Kim Ah-jung appears in “It isn’t Easy Being a Beauty,” a screenplay adapted from a Japanese comic. Kim begins as a sad girl with weight problems but turns into a supermodel after surgery and a makeover. Fans will see plenty of Kim in skimpy bathing suits and mini skirts. The film was directed by Kim Yong-hwa.

Kim Tae-hee chose luxury as her trademark. In director Cho Dong-ho’s fantasy, “Restless,” she is a goddess-like figure. CJ Entertainment spent 10 billion won ($11 million) to make this winter blockbuster. It is the producer’s first big bet after they failed with their previous mega-budget film “Typhoon.”

The last up is Hyun Young. She might be on a sticky wicket since she is fairly new to the film industry and is more popular as a host on entertainment shows. But “My Wife is a Gangster 3” is the final installment of the popular trilogy and features Zhang Ziyi as well.

As for the viewers looking for the sexiest guys on screen, these five ladies are appearing with co-actors who are almost as beautiful: Yim with Bi (Rain), Eom with Daniel Henney, the model Kim with Ju Jin-mo, the actress Kim with Jung Woo-sung and Hyun with Lee Bum-su.

by Lee Min-a